What is the role of the academic in community archaeology? The changing nature of volunteer participation at Caistor Roman town

ABSTRACT This paper charts the long-term development of a community archaeology project at the Roman town of Venta Icenorum (UK), which started as community participation in a university research project and has ultimately developed into a more equal partnership between academia and the voluntary sector. The paper describes the changing nature of community participation over the 13-year arc of the project to date, and looks at the relationship between academic research and voluntary participation in archaeology. It discusses the tensions between the needs of research and those of a successful community heritage project, particularly in light of the demands driven by the inclusion of ‘impact’ in the Research Excellence Framework (REF).